In a commonly encountered downhole scenario, it is desirable to have the capability to produce two different hydrocarbons or other varieties of production fluids from two different strata from a single submersible pump. To accomplish this, it is necessary to mix, or comingle the fluids. It may also be required to limit such comingling of the production zones. This may occur as a result of ownership rights or regulations or laws governing the production of such hydrocarbons and other regulations that further regulate the mixing or comingling of such fluids from multiple strata.
Therefore, it may be desired to be able to regulate the flow rate of production fluids when simultaneously producing from two or more strata. As a result, various methods for regulating the flow of fluids down hole have been developed in the past, such as valves and chokes. However, such previous methods have been unable to effectively control the mixing or comingling of fluids from two strata to provide accurate, repeatable, and controlled mixing or have been unable to do so without expensive and cumbersome equipment prone to failure.
For instance, a downhole valve may be configured while at the surface of the well to permit a certain flow rate for the comingling of two fluids down hole. The valve may then be installed into the wellbore for the regulation of fluid flow. However, as production commences, downhole conditions may subsequently change due to changes in reservoir pressure, temperature, fluid viscosity, etc. As a result, the downhole valve may need to be brought back to the surface for reconfiguration. Such necessary reconfiguration is expensive, tedious, and time consuming. As a result, each time the valve may need to be reconfigured will cause significant delays and expenses to the well operator.
Alternatively, it has been conventional to utilize two separate sets of tubing in parallel in the wellbore to simultaneously produce hydrocarbons and other desired fluids from two or more different strata. The two sets of tubing in parallel may be connected to the two different desired strata and therefore two separate zones or reservoirs could be simultaneously produced with a single pumping mechanism. However, this method is cumbersome in that two separate tubings are necessary to run down the wellbore. In order to utilize two tubings simultaneously, the wellbore must be appropriately sized at a large enough diameter to accommodate both sets of tubing at the same time. This leads to additional costs during the drilling process.
Conventional tools are not commercially practical due in a large part to the inability to effectively connect the power source to electronic sensors and circuit boards housed in controlled pressure environments. This is due to the need to construct tools in multiple sections and the long-standing convention connecting tubular sections together with threaded connections. The rotating connections prevent the creation of a continuous electronic passage, and in particular, the creation of a passageway and interconnected chambers for housing the sensitive electronic components in which the pressure of the passage and chambers is controlled contrary to the subterranean pressures experienced by the tool when in use.
Thus, a significant challenge to providing such controls down hole is the extreme pressure and temperature near the bottom of the producing well, and the impact on these environmental conditions on computer processing electronics.
Another significant challenge to providing such controls down hole is the need to connect electronics across sections of the tool that must be coupled together. This requirement prevents the use of threaded couplings, such as are the norm in drilling and production connections.
Therefore, there is a need for a tool having the capability of providing surface controllable electronic controls for controlling the valve or choke to control the desired comingling of fluids from two different strata in an efficient and cost effective manner, and there is a further need for a downhole valve or choke that can be controlled by a well operator directly from the surface, without retrieving and reinserting the valve or choke.